CALIFORNIA AND ANTIPODES.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 2, 3 January 1924, Page 7

CALIFORNIA AND ANTIPODES.

EXCHANGE OF PRODUCTS. RECIPROCAL TRADE SOUGHT. SAN , FRANCISCO, October 30. Western America lias been intensely interested in a lengthy article published : in the "San Francisco Chronicle," where-1 ,by suggestions were made to increase; the volume of trade as between the 1 Antipodes and California, the contribu- j tor of the article being JILs Jill I Cossley-Batt. 0.8.X.. of London, a world i traveller who has personally studied i social and economic conditions in Australia, Tasmania and Xcw Zealand. iliss Batt is a gradute of Oxford and | London universities and displays with I pride the Order of the British Empire, | rendered for distinguished sen-ices in the ; Chemical Warfare Department during the Great War. She crossed Australia on horseback, so is thoroughly 1 acquainted with her subject. In the course of her article she says: : "Until the year 1921, the Pacific Coast; fruitgrowers enjoyed an unlimited market for their produce, both dried and fresh. Since the 3'ear 1921, world commercial depression, assisted by greater productions of fruit in this country (U.S.) as well as in Great Britain and her Dominions, has resulted in a gradually decreasing market. Great Britain has always been a large consumer of j American apples, but since 191S the large ! landed estates have been cut up and planted in orchards with notable sue- j cess, one might say in every instance; • this, together with the development of a more complete and extensive knowledge of the cold storage system has tended to decrease the importation of apples, * but has not affected the importation of , fruit generally. I Australasian Markets. Aβ a result of a prolonged tour of' investigation throughout Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania, Hiss Batt is convinced that these countries present another avenue for American enterprise, and she believes American fruitgraw- . ers will realise the necessity for foster- j ing other healthy markets, such as the Antipodes. Taking San Francisco as the port of departure, the distance by water to | Great Britain or the Antipodes are more | or less the same, and it is well known i that within the last three or four years the steamers running between San Fran- ; cisco and the Antipodes have greatly in-1 creased their refrigeration space, Miss Batt says, and adds: "Australia's gen- : eral trade with America began in 1909, and in one year increased 20 per cent, j During the years of the war it increased 60 per cent, and in the years 191S to 1921, due to filling orders which had | been held up through lack of shipping, j imports increased 82 per cent. • "In the three complete fiscal years of' the post-war period the increase has j been 57 per cent, the principal item in i foodstuffs being dried fruits and oranges, j "One characteristic of Australian de- j velopment which deserves mention is the ; spread of co-operative enterprise, especi-1 ally in the fruitgrowing industry. This has been introduced as a result of Ameri- j can influence gained by visiting men j from this part of the world, and it has proved of tremendous assistance to the people in general. "Women play quite an active part in j the fruit industry, especially in the j recently irrigated districts such as ; Vanco." Here there are 50 orchards (small) entirely run by women, and in South Australia and Queensland one; meets a large number of British girls 1 who are making a success at growing prunes, apricots and oranges. Reciprocal Trading. "When it is summer on the Pacific j Coast it is winter in the Antipodes, and ! this seasonal alteration should certainly ; bring about a. trade reciprocation, i Pacific Coast fruit exporters should ] ■watch this fact and endeavour to get j their products on the Australian market j when the fruit season is at a low ebb. i There is no reason why Australia should I not buy from this coast when her fruit i is not in season, and vice versa. "For instance, America might do well to try to import the passion fruit from Australia. This fruit is egg-shaped, has , rather a thick skin and soft juicy seeds inside. These seeds contain the flavour of the orange, lemon, strawberry and pineapple combined. It is a very delici- • ous fruit and is largely used in the j Antipodes for flavouring salads, ice i creams and fountain drinks. j "During he last ten years Australia's j garden and orchard:areas have increased! to 91,363 acres; however, their imports I have exceeded their exports, particularly with regard to dried fruits. According to statistics, in 1920 about one and onehalf million pounds of dried and fresh j fruits were shipped from San Francisco by sea to the Antipodes. s " "Australia is on the upward trend | financially, and the large increase in j population during the last four years should materially assist commercial rela- j tions. I "Present trade is healthy, and the | market i* one which should not be ; neglected because of passing disappointments, chiefly due to world depression. The fostering of trade between San , Francisco and the Antipodes by careful j shipping and patience on the part of the i brokers will result in a growing and: staple'market for Pacific Coast products. Other markets arc Hongkong and Shang- j hai. but in these parts it is necessary ] to have representatives who can with ] facility enter the social circles, as a j great "deal of the "trade out there is; accomplished through such mediums j rather than by expert salesmunship." j Miss 3att evidently is not aware that most of the merchants of the Pacific j Coast are fully cognisant of the seasons of the Antipodes, and California being opposite, for in this they were several times informed by such valiant trade representatives as Commissioner Kiel ?<ielsen, of New South Wales, the late Commissioner James A. Robertson, of, Queensland, Commissioner T. A. Fricke. j of Melbourne, representing the Govern- j ment of Victoria, and CommissionerGeneral Edmund Clifton, of the New j Zealand Government, all of whom wen- i resident trade commissioners in San Francisco previous to. and during, the progress of the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. Through their instrumentality a large volume or. trade with the Antipodes was built up, but received a severe set-back through the world war interfering with traae generally across the Pacific In any case, the reiteration °t Z. opportunities for trade de™»°P» ' tween th- Pacific Coast and Au. ran 18. are in the right direction, for it wo , well-known fact that Californian exporterrand importers both Australia and New Zealand. Antipodean products arriving m ban ■ Francisco never fail to meet a ready market, and the superior quality ot the imported article never is overlooked. - both by purveyor and purchaser in the retail stores. - ■__•■•_ - ;_ i